This invention relates to a rapid conversion method of installing weapons on an aircraft and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a method of providing rapid conversion of an internal weapon carriage to an external weapon carriage for carrying fixed fin weapons such as air-to-air missiles thereon.
Current air-to-air missiles on tactical aircraft embody the use of weapons with large fins. The large fin weapons do not lend themselves for low drag with a low radar signature internal carriage because of aircraft volume constraints. Therefore, missiles, quite often are carried either on pylons, conformal, semi-submerged or on corners of the fuselage depending on the aircraft and the required launch mode.
Future fighter design requirements place an increased emphasis on reduced drag and signature, thereby making an internal weapon carriage mandatory. Therefore, missiles with smaller or folding fins are being developed with are suitable for internal carriage and these types of weapons are expected to be fielded with future tactical fighters. However, substantial numbers of current weapons with large fixed fins are expected to still be in the future inventory. Therefore, the problem the subject invention addresses is to provide a method so an aircraft can carry both types of weapons efficiently. Rapid conversion in the field must be possible with minimum support equipment.
In the following U.S. Patents; U.S. Pat. No. 2,780,422 to Maglio, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 2,958,260 to Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,242,808 to Nelson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,501 to Baum, U.S. Pat. No, 3,611,865 to Schallert, U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,516 to Ackerman, Jr. et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,645 to Herbert, U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,389 to Walley, U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,650 to Kuesters et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,365 to Holtrop, U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,373 to Bates et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,975 to Blackhurst various types of aircraft weapon mounting equipment, ejector systems and missiles launching apparatus are described. None of these prior art patents provide the advantages of the subject method for providing an aircraft adaptive weapon carriage conversion method as described herein.